127 

3py 1 



The High Peaks 



of the 



Adirondacks 



By 
Robert Marshall 




PRICE— TWENTY-FIVE CENTS 



Publication of 

The Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. 
93 State Street. Albany, N. Y. 



The High Peaks of the 
Adirondacks 



By 
Robert Marshall 



A brief account of the climbing of the forty-two 

Adirondack mountains over 4,000 feet in 

height by an amateur mountain 

climber for fellow amateurs 



-^ 



Publication ot 
The Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. 






Copyright, 1922, by 
The Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. 



OCl ieiS22 



;1A686299 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

, ^. This is the first of a series of pub- 

Introduction ,. . , . , ^ . 

hcations to be issued from time 
to time by The Adirondack Mountain Club for 
distribution to its members and for general sale 
as facts and features are discovered or collected 
relating to the Adirondacks and deemed worthy 
of permanent record in this manner. In the 
present case it is believed that the Club is 
publishing, in accordance with its policy and its 
aims and purposes, a manuscript which is of de- 
cided interest and value. 

The achievement of the author of this article 
and his companions in climbing forty-two of the 
high peaks of the Adirondacks is stimulating to 
the cause of mountaineering in northern New 
York. Furthermore the piece will occupy a 
unique place in the bibliography of our New York 
State mountains, for undoubtedly the Marshall 
brothers and their guide are the only persons who 
have stood on the tops of all of the mountains 
described. 

The author is a charter member of The Adiron- 
dack Mountain Club, and he is turning his manu- 
script over to the Club as a contribution to the work 
of the organization . I n granting permission for its 
publication, Mr. Marshall asked that it be made 
clear that he wrote only as the scribe and is speak- 
ing as much for "Herb" Clark, the guide, and 
George Marshall, his brother, as for himself. 

A word as to the interesting "rating" of the 

mountains which Mr. Marshall has included in 

his article. This of course is not to be taken as a 

standard set up by the Club. It is by its very 

[5] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

nature a matter of personal opinion, and in some 
cases it is quite conceivable that there would be a 
very decided difference of general opinion. How- 
ever, there can be no denying that such a rating 
is interesting and, furthermore, every effort was 
made to make it as fair as possible — a "secret 
ballot" in writing was taken from each of the 
three in the party, from which a composite rating 
was reached. To the reader who feels that some 
favorite peak has been slighted, our only advice 
is to climb them all and make your own rating! 
Most of the illustrations accompanying this 
article are from photographs by the author. 
Some of the views are of added interest due to the 
fact that they perhaps had never before been 
gazed upon by anyone. The Club is indebted to 
the Conservation Commission of the State of New 
York for the three views which were not taken by 
the author but which admirably illustrate his 
words. 

The Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. 

August, 1922 



[6] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 



COLVIN, NIPPLETOP AND DIX FROM ELK LAKE 

(Elk Pass to the left, Hunter Pass to the right) 
"It would be difficult to imagine a finer view" 



Foreword In every mountain section in the 
country there is a certain elevation, 
arbitrarily selected, which divides the monarchs 
of the region from the ordinary mountains. 
Thus in the Colorado Rockies 14,000 feet is 
generally chosen as the height which enables 
a mountain to get on the roll of honor. In the 
East no peaks rise nearly to that height, and so, 
of course, the elevation necessary to make a 
mountain a monarch is lowered. In the Appa- 
lachians of North Carolina it is about 5,000 feet; 
in the White Mountains of New Hampshire it is 
4,000; in our own Adirondacks it is also 4,000. 
Here there are forty-two peaks which fall in this 
category. But, unlike the other sections, these 
peaks are comparatively little known and, with 
a few exceptions, almost never climbed. 

Many believe that mountaineering in the Adi- 
rondacks is more or less of a joke. They explain 
that there are any number of Western peaks over 
twice 4,000 feet high; that the City of Denver is 
[7] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

at the same elevation as the summit of Marcy; 
and that 600 square miles of wilderness are insig- 
nificant in the Rockies or the Sierras. It is true, 
nevertheless, that the Adirondacks are capable 
of furnishing worth-while mountaineering ex- 
periences. 

Of course one cannot find any mountain which 
rises 8,000 feet above the starting point, as do 
some of our Western summits. The greatest 
rise is in climbing Marcy from Keene Valley, 
and this is but 4,300 feet. However, one who 
really wants to climb need not be contented with 
one mountain in a day. Close at hand are many 
other summits. We started one morning from 
the foot of Haystack below Panther Gorge> and 
went over Haystack, Basin, Saddleback and 
Gothic, and returned that afternoon the same 
way. Here we had 9,000 feet of ascending and 
the same amount of descending. But we had 
advantages over those who climb but one very 
high peak in a day. We got four different views, 
we were not so high up that the whole landscape 
was a blur, we did not have to bother about ex- 
treme cold or thin air, and we did not spend most 
of our time climbing over barren rocks and snow 
above the timber line, but passed through de- 
lightful spruce forests. 

The pleasure of standing on a lofty summit 
where only a few have ever stood before is easy 
to acquire in the Adirondacks. Of the forty-two 
high peaks only fourteen have trails up them. 
On certain summits, I have never seen any signs 
of man or heard of any one being there. Prob- 

[8] 



High Peaks of the A d i rondacks 



hi<^ 



ably some of these had never been cHmbed before, 
including Iroquois, Allen, Street, Nye, Middle 
Dix, Lower Wolf Jaw and South Dix. Others 
like Nippletop, Redfield, McComb, Sawteeth, 
Upper Wolf Jaw, Rocky Peak Ridge, Dial, East 
Dix and Phelps, are probably not ascended more 
than once in five years. None of the others with- 
out trails is scaled oftener than once or twice a 
year. 

In an en- 
deavor to add 
to the knowl- 
edge concern- 
ing these moun- 
tains, and to 
encourage na- 
ture-lovers to 
get out and 
climb them, I 
have attempted 

, . ^ • r MOOSE POND, IN THE PASS BETWEEN STREET AND WALLFACE. 

to cfive a brief 

* ^ A wilderness lake surrounded by virgin forest 

description of 

the way up the forty-two high peaks, and 
the view obtainable from them. In this article 
I have arranged the mountains in the order of 
their elevation. In the conclusion I give a rating 
of them as regards beauty. This, I believe, 
is the first complete rating of this kind ever 
made of all the mountains over 4,000 feet. So 
far as I know, no one else has ever climbed them 
all. 




[9 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

Mount Marcy This is the highest, most famous, 
(Tahawus) ^^^^ possibly most often dimbed 
M44 feet ^^ ^^^ Adirondack peaks. So far 

Rating 9 . . . ^ ^ 

as IS known, it was the first of 
the 4,000 footers ever ascended, having been 
chmbed as early as 1837. 

There are six important trails up it. Some of 
these join. The oldest starts at Tahawus Club, 
runs up Calamity Brook, by the Henderson 
Monument, to the Flowed Lands and Lake Colden. 
Here it branches at right angles to the former 
course and follows the Opalescent River and 
Feldspar Brook to the highest source of the Hudson, 
Lake Tear-of-the-Clouds. Just beyond another 
trail crosses it at right angles. The left-hand or 
northeast branch leads directly on to Marcy. 
Straight ahead is the Marcy Trail which comes up 
from Upper Ausable Lake. This cuts across 
Bartlett Ridge and then follows Marcy Brook. 
It can be reached by two ways. One is from St. 
Hubert's via Lower Ausable Lake; the other from 
Elk Lake via Railroad Notch. Another trail up 
the mountain runs from Lake Sanford through 
the pass between Redfield and Cliff Mountains 
and joins the Opalescent at Uphill Brook. One 
of the most often used trails runs up the John's 
Brook Valley from Keene Valley, and strikes onto 
the mountain proper from the head of the brook. 
From the north there is also a trail, very muddy 
and running mostly through slash. It can be 
reached from either Heart Pond or South Mead- 
ows. The trails I like best are from Tahawus 
Club and Ausable Lake. 
[10] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

The view from Marcy is not so fine as from 
several lower peaks, yet it is beautiful enough to 
suit the most exacting. The view I like the best 
is over the Lake Tear Notch toward those three 
magnificently wooded mountains, Allen, Sky- 
light and Redfield. The views over the Gothics, 
down John's Brook Valley, and toward Mac- 
Intyre, merely to list them, are also very 
fine. 

Marcy is the only mountain in the Adirondacks 
from which all the 4,000 foot peaks can be seen. 



.- T ^ There are two trails up Macln- 

Mac Intyre r ^ i 

5,112 feet ^Y^^- The onc most frequently used 
Rating 5 starts at Heart Pond and follows 
the Marcy Trail a short way, but 
then turns off for the mountain. It follows 
Maclntyre Brook a way and then, swinging 
around the base of Wright Peak, ascends grad- 
ually to the summit. About half way up is a fifteen 
foot waterfall, furnishing the last sure water. 
There is much slash on either side up to here. By 
this trail I ccnsider Maclntyre the easiest of 
any of the high mountains to climb. The other 
trail starts at Lake Golden, ascends through the 
hollow between Herbert and the main peak, and 
then strikes onto the mountain from the south- 
west. 

Though lower and much less often climbed, 
I think the prospect from Maclntyre far surpasses 
that from Marcy. At first it is hard to say which 
of the many views is most desirable. Mount 

[11] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

Colden, with its great slides, backed by the dark 
and towering Marcy, attracts the attention per- 
haps most. But then on the other side is Wallface 
and the Scott Pond country, and it is hard to turn 
long from this view. Unfortunately during the last 
few years lumbering has greatly marred this section. 
Between these opposite views one sees Placid, 
South Meadows surrounded by lofty mountains, 
the Gothics, Skylight and Redfield,andjSantanoni, 
all most delightful and inspiring to view. When 
on top of Maclntyre it is hard to believe that 
any mountain can surpass it in beauty of view. 



Sk li ht ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ corners referred to in the 
4,920 feet Marcy paragraphs one of the four trails, 
Rating 13 that which leads to the southwest, was 
not mentioned. It takes a person, after 
an easy quarter hour climb, to the top of Sky- 
light, third highest mountain in the state. 

The view from Skylight is cut off rather abruptly 
to the northeast by a great wall formed by Marcy 
and Haystack. Yet I consider this wall in itself the 
finest part of the entire Skylight view. It is all 
heavily timbered, except near the top, where tim- 
ber is crushed out by the high elevation. In the 
center between Haystack and Marcy is a great 
gash in the wall. Panther Gorge. This gorge, 
with the surrounding mountains, form a bit of 
scenery which nature has wrought to perfection. 
Other fine views are towards Maclntyre, Santanoni 
and the valley of Skylight Brook. 

[12] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

, Everyone has his favorite mountain. 
4,918 /eet ^y favorite is Haystack. Primarily 
Rating 1 because in the whole vast panorama 
visible from the mountain there is 
virtually not a sign of civilization. Whichever 
way 3^ou look, save toward a small burned section 
near the Giant, there are the forests, the moun- 
tains, the ponds, just as they were before white man 
had ever set foot on America. It's a great thing 
these days to leave civilization for a while and 
return to nature. From Haystack you can look 
overthousands and thousands of acres, unblemished 
by the works of man, perfect as made by nature. 

Of course there are individual views of over- 
whelming beauty. I know of no two finer pros- 
pects than the one over Panther Gorge toward 
Marcy, and the one over the rocky Gothics. But 
it is the sense of being in the center of a great 
wilderness which gives the greatest charm. 

The main trail up Haystack leaves the Ausable 
Lake-Marcy trail at the foot of Panther Gorge, 
and ascends tne hollow between Haystack and 
Bartlett Ridge. In the center of the hollow it is 
joined by another trail from Upper Ausable which 
keeps the other side of Bartlett Ridge. I^rom 
where these two trails join is a very steep forty 
minute climb to the summit. Another trail up 
Haystack leads over the whole Gothic Range and 
ascends Haystack from the northeast. 

Whiteface There are three good trails up White- 
4,872 feet f^^.^^ q^^]^ Starting at a readily access- 
Rating 23 .^^^ p^.^^^ ^g ^ j.gg^j^^ Whiteface is 

[13 1 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

climbed more often than any other high 
mountain, with the possible exception of Marcy. 
One of the trails starts at the head of Lake 
Placid and runs up rather steeply to the summit. 
Another easier, but somewhat longer way. is from 
Wilmington. This trail runs over Marble Moun- 
tain and ascends Whiteface proper from the 
hollow between it and Esther. The third trail 
starts from French's old hotel near Franklin Falls, 
and follows the general course of French's Brook. 
The view from Whiteface is one of the broadest 
in the Adirondacks. Both the St. Lawrence and 
Lake Champlain can be seen. To the south most 
of the high mountains are visible, while to the 
west stretches a vast extent of flat lake country. 
The view over Placid and the one toward the 
great range are very fine, yet they do not excel the 
average views from many other mountains. 
They contain none of that wildness that adds so 
much to some peaks. 



Herbert Somcbody oucc cut a trail from 

(Clinton, Bor- Maclutyrc to Herbert, but it is 

der) 4,855 feet ..11 t- 4. 4. 

Ratin 4 ^^^ Virtually gone. To get to 

this peak you must tug, tussle, 
push and batter your way through as dense 
a mass of mountain balsam as ever grew. Pro- 
gress is measured by inches If you are strong 
and persevering you may finally get through 
what as the bird flies is only a mile, but as man 
travels seems like ten. 
The view which rewards you for your effort is 

[14] 



High Peaks of the Adirondack^ 

much like that from the main peak, but even finer. 
Substituted for the view toward Placid and the 
burned lands toward the Cascade Lakes, least 
pretty of any of the Maclntyre scenery, is as 
beautiful and wild a valley as could exist, backed 
by heavily wooded Iroquois. It is a view which 
alone is worth climbing a mountain. But in 
addition, being nearer the center, you get a better 
view of both Indian and Avalanche Passes. That 
is why I like this very rarely climbed mountain 
even better than Maclntyre. 



^. There are two trails up Dix. The one 

Dix \ 

4,842 feet ^^^ most oftcn traveled starts at St. 
Rating 8 Hubcrt's, ruus between Noonmark and 
Round Mountains, crosses the very 
slashy valley of the Bouquet, and then ascends 
the mountain proper. It is poorly cut out 
and is, all in all, the hardest mountain trail I 
know of in the Adirondacks. The other trail, 
too, which starts at Elk Lake, has not been cut 
out lately. I have never taken it all the way, 
having struck up on it from Middle Dix, but I 
understand it follows up the East Inlet a long 
way, and then runs up the shoulder of Dix. 

The view from Dix is very broad. One can see 
from Whiteface down almost to the very south- 
ernmost mountains. Lake Champlain and Ver- 
mont seem quite near, and virtually all of the high 
mountains are visible. Perhaps the finest view, 
one which could hardly be improved on, is looking 
down toward the wooded valley of Elk Lake, with 

ri5i 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

the island-studded lakes standing out among the 
light green trees. Since the valley has been lum- 
bered for softwood, all the darker growth is gone. 
The view toward the Great Range is another very 
impressive sight. From Nippletop, directly in 
front, to Maclntyre in the extreme distance, from 
Allen on the left to the Wolf Jaws on the right, are 
many lofty peaks, all over 4,000 feet, virtually 
unmarred by man, a most majestic looking range. 
Unfortunately, the Dix view is considerably 
spoiled by fire slash which runs in a semicircle 
from Nippletop clear around to East Dix. 



Basin ^^^^ P^^^ ^^ really the central point on 
4,825 feet ^^^ Gothic Range trail. It can, there- 
Rating 6 fore, be approached from two sides, 
northeast and southwest. From either 
way the trail is very steep and difficult, and one 
must proceed with great care. At one place is 
an almost perpendicular slide up which you can 
only ascend by the aid of a rope which has been 
stretched the length of the slide. The course 
of the Gothic Range Trail, (All Summit) which 
will be referred to again, may as well be 
described here. It starts on the road from St. 
Hubert's to the Ausable Lakes, runs up over the 
Gothics, then over Saddleback, Basin, Little Hay- 
stack and Haystack, and finally meets the Marcy 
trail at the foot of Panther Gorge. A person 
traveling this trail in the direction mentioned 
would have approximately 6,500 feet of ascending 
and 5,000 of descending. 

[16] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

What most impresses one from Basin are the 
three great valleys which surround the mountain : 
Panther Gorge with its great cliffs, the broad John's 
Brook Valley, and the great wooded basin to the 
south, which so impressed Colvin when in 1875 he 
first climbed this mountain that he named it after 
the basin. No words can describe a person's feeling 
as he looks over this enormous hollow and gets 
perhaps the finest view now possible of the type 
of forest which once covered all of the North 
Woods region. Basin, situated as it is right in the 
center of the great mountains, affords a very fine 
view of them, and this, added to the valley views, 
makes it rank high. 



Gothic 
4,738 feet 
Rating 15 



There are four trails up Gothic. One, 
already described, comes over the 
range and ascends the west side. In 
the hollow between Gothic and Sad- 
it is 



dleback 
joined by a trail 
which follows up 
Ore Bed Brook. 
From the east 
it is approached 
by the most often 
used trail which 
starts, as already 
mentioned, on 
the Ausable Lake 

road. An old trail starts at the foot of Lower 

Ausable and follows a brook for some distance ; 

[17] 




SADDLEBACK, GOTHICS AND SAWTEETH FROM 
AUSABLE LAKE 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

then it strikes the mountain and picks its way 
among the great slides to the top. Still another 
trail starts at Upper Ausable Lake. 

Looking back toward Marcy is one of the finest 
views imaginable of deep gorges, rocky precipices 
and virgin forests, mixed together and displayed 
on a great scale. Toward Dix is another delightful 
view looking over the Colvin and Nippletop Ranges. 
Down toward Keene Valley fertile fields and 
houses can be seen. The views over John's Brook 
Vallev and to the south are also beautiful. 



. , There is no trail up Colden. We 

4,713 feet climbcd it from the north approach 
Rating 19 to Avalauchc Pass. We left the Ava- 
lanche trail about half a mile from 
the center of the pass and followed old logging 
roads and flumes to the end of a very bad slash 
which extended well up the mountain. For a short 
way came fine woods, but near the top was as bad 
a stretch of mountain balsams as I have ever seen. 
We had a long mile of tugging through this growth. 

Situated as it is between Marcy and Maclntyre, 
the view from Colden is very restricted . Yet there 
is much of beauty in it. I like best the view to- 
ward the Gothic, but it is also very beautiful 
looking over Colden and the Flowed Lands. The 
Opalescent Valley should be the finest view of all 
but lumbering has considerably marred it. For- 
tunately it was stopped before the valley was en- 
tirely ruined. Perhaps the most sensational view 
is looking down the great slides. Lower down 

[18] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

they are so steep that just a corner of Avalanche 
Lake is visible. Looking [still farther, the long 
Maclntyre range can be seen, badly burned at the 
north end. A very good view can be had of the 
great Elba Valley. 

Giant ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ 

4,622 feet Adirondack peaks to be climbed and 
Rating 21 is Still onc of the most frequently 
ascended summits. The trail up it 
starts near the St. Hubert's ball grounds and 
rises gradually to the top. It is an excellent trail. 
There was formerly a trail from New Russia, but 
I have been told that this is virtually obliterated. 
The Giant view is more or less of the same type 
as the Whiteface one, though in a very different 
section. It is situated at one edge of the mountain 
region. Thus there is a very good general view of 
the great ranges to the west. But they are too 
far off for their individual merits to stand out. 
To the east many farmlands are visible, both in 
New York and Vermont. North are some lower 
ranges. To the south is a very fine sight. Hunter 
Pass, with its two great walls, the Dix and Nipple- 
top ranges. Were this view unmarred by fire 
scars there could not be a more beautiful one. 
Directly to the west is the valley in which St. Hu- 
bert's lies, as pretty a hollow as can be. There 
is nothing in the whole prospect I like better. 

Santanoni There is no trail up this mountain, al- 
4,621 feet though lumber roads run well up it 
^ *"^ from the Tahawus side. We climbed 
ri9i 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

it from the dam on Cold River, and from this 
direction found it to be the hardest mountain 
we ever attempted. First came a very, very 
long lumbered area. We followed roads a way, 
but as they persisted in going the wrong way, 
we soon had to leave them and take to the brush. 
After four hours of steady climbing came a great 
flat which seemed to be at the top of everything. 
By mounting a tree we found Panther Peak, and 
a thirty minute desperate struggle with the moun- 
tain balsam brought us to the summit. We 
dreaded the mile and a half of balsam between us 
and Santanoni, but somebody had cut a rough 
trail between the two peaks, which made the going 
less difficult. 

The view from Santanoni was worth far more 
than it cost us to reach the top worth any trouble, 
in fact, for only Haystack do I consider finer. 
Whichever way you look, it is very impressive. 
Santanoni is in the heart of the wilderness, divid- 
ing the mountain from the lake region. Thus 
the view is very varied, with a magnificent pano- 
rama to the east of virtually every one of the 4,000 
foot peaks, and to the west a heavily wooded 
wilderness, broken many times by shining 
lakes and ponds. To the north is the Cold 
River country, backed by the great Seward 
Range. Lumbering has affected this somewhat, 
but fortunately fire has not as yet touched it. One 
of the finest parts of the mountain view is the ex- 
cellent profile of many of the famous passes. 
Through the notch of Indian Pass, far in the dis- 
tance, is the notch made by Cascade. It seems 
[20] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

almost like looking through the sights of a gun. 
Directly below to the east are four dark bodies of 
water, unusually attractive Henderson, Sanford, 
Bradley and Andrew. Santanoni indeed furnishes 
many sorts of beautiful scenery. 



^j. , ^ We climbed this mountain from 

INippletop 

4,620 feet Huutcr Pass. We had taken the Dix 
Ratings Trail as far as the big slide, where 
we cut into the second growth and 
struggled across the badly slashed valley. Once 
across it, where the great fire of 1903 had not 
touched, we found the going easier. We ascended 
the very steep mountain side to the Dial, and 
then followed a ridge over two or three interven- 
ing, unimportant peaks to Nippletop. 

The view as a whole could hardly be excelled. 
If it were not for the fire which destroyed so much 
land from Giant all the way to Dix, no peak in the 
state would be more commanding. But one can 
forget this desolation as he looks over all the re- 
mainder of the horizon. The finest two views are 
over the two passes which bound the mountain. 
Over Hunter Pass lies Dix, a mighty precipice for 
most of its height. Over Elk Pass one sees range 
upon range of unspoiled mountains. First comes 
Colvin, with several great cliffs showing among the 
virgin timber, then Sawteeth, the Gothic Range, 
Marcy, and finally Maclntyre. To the south is 
the Elk Eake country, and to the east the farm- 
lands and mountains of Vermont seem very close. 

We descended into Elk Pass, following a re- 
[21] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 



cent surveyor's line. We reached the pass just 
south of the divide and followed it north to the 
Colvin Trail. We found this course most beauti- 
ful, and as the timber was all first growth it was 
a much easier way than that which we took up 
the mountain. 



Redfield 
4,606 feet 



This is another mountain without a 
trail. In fact none of the remaining 
Rating 7 mountains, unless Specifically mentioned, 
has one. We left the Opalescent Trail 
and followed Uphill Brook for about a mile to 
where it branched, passing some good sized 
fails on the way. We took the right hand fork 

and followed it 
almost to the 
summit of the 
mountain. As 
we tramped 
along through 
the glorious, 
unmarred 
woods which 
covered the 
mountain, we 
certainly felt grateful to' the State for having 
purchased this land just in time to save it from 
the lumbering operations. 

The top of the mountain was very flat and 
heavily timbered, the highest timbered mountain 
in the State. We had to do considerable searching 
to see anything, but finally found three places 
which gave us a complete view. From the first 

*[22] 




HERBERT, MAC INTYRE, WRIGHT AND COLDEN FROM REDFir.LD 
LOOKING OVER THE VALLEY OF THE OPALESCENT 



High Peaks oi the Adiror^dacks 

we could see all the way from Marcy to Blue 
Mountain. The day was the clearest I ever had 
on a mountain, and I don't know when I ever saw 
so many peaks. We could see Hamilton Moun- 
tain at the extreme southern border of the Adiron- 
dacks, and hundreds of peaks between it and us. 
In the direction of Vermont there seemed to be so 
many ranges of mountains we thought the farthest 
ones must be in New Hampshire. But finest of all 
was what lay immediately before us, the deep valley 
of Skylight Brook, backed by Allen, North River 
Mountain, and farther still the Boreas Range, all 
heavily wooded. This view we got from a high 
rock. From a windfall we could look over the 
Santanoni and Seward country and the inter- 
vening woods, while from another rock we got a 
magnificent view of Maclntyre, Colden and Marcy, 



Wright (North We climbcd this peak from the 
Maclntyre) Maclutyrc Trail where it crosses 

4,585 feet • i_ ^ .1 

Rating 20 ^ ravme about three-quarters of 

the way up. It was a relatively 
easy mountain to climb, a half hour's struggle 
through some scrubby balsam and ten minutes 
on bare rock bringing us to the top. We came 
down a different way, cutting directly for the 
waterfall half way up the Maclntyre Trail By 
this route we dodged all balsam. 

The view was similar to that from the main peak 
and therefore very fine. However, it was neither 
as broad nor wild as the prospect from Maclntyre. 
[23] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

The only thing it had which the main peak lacked 
was the view of Maclntyre towering above. 



c jji u u The Gothic Range Trail, already 

i33.ClCll6t33.CiC i -i i i" i i ' 

4,530 feet described, runs directly over this 
Rsting 24 mountain. Thus it can be ap- 
proached from two sides. The view 
is somewhat like that from Gothic and Basin, but 
these two lofty summits cut off a great deal of 
scenery. Though on the sixteenth highest peak 
in the State, one feels on Saddleback as though he 
were in a hollow, so many higher mountains sur- 
round him. The top is not entirely bare, which 
naturally detracts somewhat. What I like best 
about the view is the Great Basin and the massive, 
rocky sides of Gothic, g, ^ 




Armstrong 
4,455 feet 
Rsting 18 



:he glimpse from sawteeth, of wooded 

armstrong, with its great slide, 

is superb 



Where the 
G o t h i c 
Trail comes 
out at the 
edge of a big precipice 
shortly below the summit, 
we headed into the moun- 
tain balsam covering the 
Armstrong Ridge. Half an 
hour of a tussling climb 
brought us to the summit 
of this mountain. It was 
mostly covered with bal- 
sam, but there was one 
big, bare ledge which 

24 1 



High Peaks of the A dirond acks 

afforded us a magnificent view back over a wild 
country of lofty mountains, great slides and awe- 
inspiring gorges. It was much like the view 
toward Marcy and Maclntyre from its next door 
neighbor, but had the advantage of including the 
Gothic as well. Through the trees one could see 
toward Dix, Big Slide and the Wolf Jaws. But it 
is that one great view toward Marcy and Mac- 
lntyre which makes Armstrong rank high among 
the sightly mountains of the State. 



Panther ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ which WC WCUt Up 

4,448 feet Panther has already been mentioned 
Rating 10 in the Santanoni description. Being 
so near that peak, the view is of ne- 
cessity much like it. However, Santanoni cuts off 
many of those ponds which add so much to the 
view from the higher summit. The passes do not 
stand out so well from Panther either. However 
you can see three peaks from Panther which are 
invisible from Santanoni, and you get a better 
view of the upper part of Cold River. 



Tabietop About six milcs from Keene Valley 
4,440 feet ^hc trail up Marcy divides. One part 
Rating 39 kccps to John's Brook. The other 
leaves it and gradually works its way 
up Tabietop and from there goes to Marcy, 
joining the Heart Pond Trail. 

Tabietop, as its name implies, is very flat, and 
in addition is heavily wooded on top. As a result, 
[25] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

one can see almost nothing from it. About the 
only worth-while view can be had from just off 
the trail a short way below the summit. Here one 
can look down the John's Brook Valley to Keene 
Valley. 

, We climbed Macomb from Elk Lake. 
4,425 f^et There were logging roads well up the 
Rating 14 mountain, and these we followed out 
of the lumberman's slash. Then we 
cut over to the left to a big slide, which we fol- 
lowed to the height of land of the mountain. 
Then a half hour's tramp through mountain 
balsam brought us to the summit. 

Macomb, being at the southern end of the Dix 
Range, presents a view very much like that from 
Dix. However, being much nearer Elk Lake, the 
view over its great valley is even finer. As on Dix 
one gets a magnificent view of the great unmarred 
ranges of mountains, stretching from Allen to Wolf 
Jaws. The east side of the summit is not bare, 
and one can only get views by peering through 
the trees. To the north is a rather unpleasant 
looking slash. 

Iroquois This is probably the wildest moun- 

(SouthMac- ^^jj^ ij^ ^Y\e Adirondacks. It is all 
intyre) 4,411 ^^^^^^ woodcd. On the whole 

ft. Rating 12 -^ . , , . , 

mountam we could not see a smgle 
trace of the presence of any human being, not 
even an old blaze on a tree. 

We climbed it from Herbert, descending between 

[26] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

precipices to Algonquin Pass, and then ascending 
through the most luxuriant woods I have ever seen. 
From the very summit nothing was visible, but we 
walked around, finding ledges from which we pro- 
cured surprisingly good views. From one we 
could look back at the cliffs of Herbert; from anoth- 
er we saw the Scott Pond Plateau; from a third we 
got a birdseye glimpse of Wall face from almost 
directly above it; from still another we could look 
over miles of forest covered hills toward Santanoni. 
But the best view of all was from the southwest side 
of the mountain where a panorama stretching from 
Marcy to Mount Adams spread out. In it all there 
was not a sign to show that man had ever been 
there. First came a great mountainside of mag- 
nificent timber, then the valley of the Flowed 
Lands and Calamity Brook, back of which rose the 
great Marcy Range. 

We descended toward the foot of Algonquin 
Pass, almost as remarkable as Indian, and came 
out from there into the latter pass. 



e J There is an old trail up Seward from 

aewarcl 

4,404 feet ^^^^ Ampersand Pond. We climbed 

Rating 11 the mountain from the Cold River 

side, following lumber roads to the 

edge of the slash and found it an easy climb. 

The view of the lake country is most remarkable 

from this peak. Long Lake, Lila,Tupper, the Sara- 

nacs and Lake Clear can be seen plainly. On the 

other side the whole range of high mountains is in 

view, too far off for their individual beauty to stand 

[27] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 




FROM SEWARD OVER BIG AMPERSAND POND, SHOWING CLEAR, LOWER 
SARANAC AND OSEETAH LAKES IN THE DISTANCE 

" The view of the lake country is most remarkahle from 
this peak 



out but very alluring en masse. Lumbering oper- 
rations scar the view toward Cold River. The 
most attractive part of the outlook I think is over 
Big Ampersand Pond. 



Middle Dix 
(Little Dix) 
4,404 feet 
Rating 32 



We climbed this peak from the head 
of the South Bouquet. We descended 
what closely approaches a 1500 foot 
sheer precipice on the Hunter Pass 
side. 
The view, so far as one may be obtained, is very 
much like that from the main peak, but there is 
much which the mountain balsam and Dix cut 
off. The only extra view you get is toward Dix 
itself. The mountain is by no means worth the 
trouble of climbing. 

[28] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

Rocky Peak We cHmbed this mountain di- 
Ridge (Giant's j-g^tly from the Giant. If one is 
Wife) 4,375 feet ^^^ ^^ ^^ defeated by dense, hard 

Rating 30 , , i • . , 

slash, this route is to be recom- 
mended, for fire has burned all the territory 
between the two mountains. In fact, it has 
burned completely over and around Rocky Peak 
Ridge. 

The view from this mountain is much like that 
from the Giant, but more slashy. Of course the 
entire scenery toward the St. Hubert's Valley is 
cut off. To the southwest a better view can be 
had. The slides on the Giant are a great addition 
to the view. What catches the eye most is a little 
pond just to the east of the summit, almost up to 
the 4,000 foot mark. All in all, the prospect is 
not so fine as that from the Giant and hardly 
worth the trouble to obtain. 



.„ This is in great contrast to the last 

Allen ... 11-1 • . 

4,345 feet mountain, being wooded with virgin 
Rating 17 timber and showing no trace of human 
interference. We climbed it from 
Redfield, crossing the broad South Valley of the 
Opalescent, from where there was an easy ascent 
to the wooded summit. 

This is quite pointed but, unfortunately, there 
are not many ledges. However, we found two 
spots from which we got good views. From the 
one we could see a semi-circle of forested mountains 
and valleys from Marcy to Boreas. What I liked 
best about the view was the profile of Panther 

[29] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

Gorge, looking near the bottom like a bucket, 
so straight were the sides. The view of the Gothic 
Range was also very fine. From the other spot 
we could see only one view, but it was worth the 
whole climb. It was of the Opalescent Valley, 
backed by dark green Redfield. 



We cut up this mountain through 

4 270^ feet ^^"^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^"^ ^^^ ^^^" 

Rating 38 mington Trail up Whitcfacc. The view 
in no way compensated us for the 
trouble. We could see slash toward Blooming- 
dale, slash toward the Wilmington Range, slash 
toward the open fields along the Ausable. We 
could see some of the high mountains in the dis- 
tance to the south. The best part of the view was 
Whiteface, towering up directly to the southwest. 



„. ^,. , I understand there is a trail up this 

Big Slide . - __ Tr 11 TTT 

4 255 feet mountam from Keene Valley. We 
Rating 27 climbcd it through a primeval forest 
from the head of South Meadows 
Brook. Even if there had been no view, the 
woods alone were worth the climb. 

The top of the mountain has been only par- 
tially cleared. One gets a very fine, uninterrup- 
ted view toward the Gothic Range just across 
John's Brook Valley, and Marcy, Golden and 
Maclntyre. On the other side through the trees 
there are glimpses of the view toward Placid. 

[301 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

u er Wolf ^^ ascended this mountain from 

Jaw, 4,255 feet Armstrong. The descent from 
Rating 33 the latter was quite precipitous 

and we had frequently to work 
our way along narrow ledges over high cliffs. The 
climb up Wolf Jaw was quite steep but through 
very fine woods. 

Though the summit was covered with timber, 
we found some outlook. The best view was back 
over the range, but it was not so fine as the similar 
one from Armstrong and Gothic. We could also 
catch glimpses toward Dix, the precipitous shoul- 
der of Armstrong and the John's Brook Valley. 



Street ^^ asccnded this mountain from 

4,216 feet ^^^ totc road leading to Indian Pass. 
Rating 41 The climb was long but there were no 
very steep places. The top is fiat, and 
for the last half hour we hardly rose at all. The 
summit is also heavily wooded so that, aside 
from glimpses toward Nye, Heart Pond and Mac- 
Intyre, we saw nothing. 



North Seward Thirty-fivc miuutcs push through 
4,215 feet the mountain balsam from Seward 

Rating 26 brought US to this peak. The 

view was much like that from the 
main peak, but not so broad. Only toward Big 
Ampersand was it better. 

[ 31 J 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 



Lower Wolf The descent from Upper Wolf Jaw 
^^^ was almost as steep as that from 

R^^^n ^25 Armstrong. Both the descent and 
the climb up the lower peak were 
made through very fine woods. The only signs 
of civilization we saw from Armstrong to the 

Lower Wolf 
Jaw was a sur- 
veyor's line. 

The sight from 
the Lower Wolf 
Jaw is, I think, 
better than 
from the Upper. 
The view over 
the range is 
much the same, 
b u t in addition 
there is a view 
toward Giant 
and Keene Val- 
ley and another 
toward Dix. 
This latter I consider one of the great individual 
views of the Adirondacks. 




DIX AND NIPPLETOP FROM LOWER WOLF JAW 

" One of the great individual views of the 
Adirondacks " 



Phelps (Little 
Tabletop, 
North Table- 
top) 4,175 feet 
Rating 40 



I climbed this mountain one dark 
afternoon from South Meadows. 
I never enjoyed climbing a moun- 
tain so little. There were hours of 
pushing through terrible fire slash, 
working up slides and walking 

[32 1 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

logs. Fortunately, old lumber roads led up as 
far as South Meadows Mountain. 

A view over miles of ugly slash toward Heart 
Pond and a glimpse through the second growth 
toward Marcy Brook are all one can see from the 
summit. 

Nye This is quite an easy climb, or rather 

4,160 feet mostly descent , through pleasant woods 
Rating 42 ^^^^ Street. It is so heavily wooded 
on top that one can see nothing ex- 
cept the forest he is in. 

In descending directly to Indian Pass from here 
one encounters the worst possible slash. Once 
through it to the base of the mountain, there is a 
broad flat to cross before reaching the road. 



c ,, o J Three-quarters of an hour of travel 

5>outn Seward i i , • t 

4,139 feet through the thicK mountam growth 

Rating 35 brought US from North Seward to 

this peak. It is quite heavily 
wooded on top, hence little can be seen. How- 
ever, there is a better view toward Upper Saranac 
and Tupper than from either of the other two 
Se wards. 

Sawteeth We followcd the old Gothic Trail by 

4,138 feet Rainbow Falls to where it crossed 

^**"^ the first big slide on Sawteeth. We 

followed this up a way and then cut 

directly for the summit. 

[33] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

We had been told that Sawteeth was so heavily 
wooded on top a person was a fool to climb it. 
The first part of the statement was certainly true, 
but there were also ledges. From these, on the way 
up we got two superb views, one toward wooded 

Armstrong, the 
other toward 
bare Gothic. 
But the best 
view was re- 
served for the 
summit. This 
was looking 
over the Great 
Basin, finest 
stretch of pri- 
meval forest in 
the State, to- 
ward Allen, 
Skylight, Hay- 
stack, Marcy and Basin, all heavily wooded save 
where some great slide had left a white streak. If 
I were asked to name the most beautiful single view 
in the Adirondacks, I would be inclined to place 
this grand prospect first. 




HAYSTACK, MARCY AND BASIN OVER THE VIRGIN WOODS 
OF GREAT BASIN FROM SAWTEETH 

" Perhaps the most beautiful single view in the 
Adirondacks " 



We climbed this mountain from Ma- 
comb, descending and ascending 
through terrible slash. We left it by 
heading through the slash toward 
East Dix. This is one of the most desolate 



South Dix 
4,135 feet 
Rating 37 



views I know of 



nothing but burned wasted land 
[34] 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

on all sides. A few fine mountains in the dis- 
tance could not seem beautiful when seen over the 
dreary foreground. 



We climbed this mountain very easily 

Seymour . , , 

4,120 feet ^^^^ ^^^ camp at Its base on the 
Rating 28 Cold River side. Old roads took us 
out of the lumber slash, and from 
there on there were fine woods to the summit. 

A big bare rock enables one to get a great view 
toward the Saranacs, Ampersand Pond, the Saw- 
tooth Range and Ampersand Pass. From the 
other side through the trees one can get a good view 
of the high mountain section. Looking over 
Ouluska Pass, the Seward Range is prominent. 



^ , There used to be a trail up this 

l^ascade 

4,092 feet mountain from Cascade Lake but, like 
Rating 29 many other Adirondack trails shown 
on the map, it is no more. We fol- 
lowed the general course of the old trail but saw 
no trace of it. Lower down the going was very 
steep, and we had to crawl and pull ourselves 
along the rocks. Higher up this steepness largely 
disappeared, and a fire slash was substituted. 

The view is quite varied. To the west are the 

fertile farm lands of North Elba, with Round 

Pond standing out; north is bare and burned 

Pitchoff; east and southeast is a most unpleasant 

[35] 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

looking fire slash, culminating in Porter; to the 
south and southwest are the big mountains. 



^ , , There is a good trail up this mountain, 

Colvin . ° , , ,^ ^ ^^ , 

(Sabeie) startmg on the road from St. Hubert s 
4,074 feet to Ausable Lake. It is above the aver- 
Rating 22 age trail in beauty. The summit of the 
mountain is only partially cleared. 
However, some very desirable views can be ob- 
tained from it. The best, and in fact one of the 
best I have ever gotten, is across Lower Ausable 
toward the virgin wooded mountains to the west. 
Not one of those peaks in the Gothic Range have 
ever been lumbered. We could see far down the 
valley of the Ausable, and over St. Hubert's 
toward the Giant. Nippletop cut off the view 
to the east, though in itself it was well worth 
while seeing. 



Porter It was an easy half hour's journey, 

4,070 feet ^j^]^ j j^^|g climbing, from the top of Cas- 
Rating 36 ^^^^ ^^ Porter. Fire had burned up 
most of the slash, which helped to 
make the going easy. We descended a better 
way than we had come up Cascade, striking down 
to the valley which runs between Cascade and 
Porter to the west. However, it was by no 
means easy going. 

The view was much like that from Cascade, but 
even slashier. It was rather sickening to see the 
burned land on all sides. The view toward the 



High Peaks of the Adirondacks 

Gothic Range and Marcy, with Big SHde in the fore- 
ground, was better than the similar view from the 
neighboring peaks. 

Dial The way we cHmbed this mountain has 

4,023 feet already been described in the Nippletop 
^ *"^ paragraphs. The view resembled the 
one from that peak to a considerable ex- 
tent but aside from the fact that trees blocked ofif 
much scenery, it was considerably less enticing. 



r . ^^• Wc cUmbcd this mountain through 

East Dix 1 1 I r 

4,020 feet ^^^Y ^ad slash from South Dix. We 
Rating 34 followcd back the same way for a while, 
and then cut into the south valley of 
the Bouquet for Middle Dix. 

The view was interesting and very different 
from any other but badly marred by fire. The part 
I liked best was looking across the deep valley of 
the Bouquet toward the side of Dix. Other in- 
teresting views were toward the ponds to the east 
and Macomb to the south. 



^ , . In conclusion I give a rating of these 

Conclusion <=- » 

and mountams as regards beauty. It is a 

Rating compositc of the ratings of my brother 

George, Herb Clark, a great Adirondack 
guide, and myself. We three climbed all these 
mountains together during the past two years, and 
so have had a good opportunity to judge their 
merits. Of course I realize that ranking mount- 



The Adirondack Mountain Club 

ains is, at best, uncertain and subject to criti- 
cism. Nevertheless, I am offering this rating for 
what it is worth: 



1 Haystack 4918 = 

2 Santanoni 4621 

3 Nippletop 4620 

4 Herbert 4855 

5 Maclntyre 5112 

6 Basin 4825 

7 Redfield 4606 

8 Dix 4842 

9 Marcy 5344 

10 Panther 4448 

11 Seward 4404 

12 Iroquois 4411 

13 Skylight 4920 

14 Macomb 4425 

15 Gothic 4738 

16 Sawteeth 4138 

17 Allen 4345 

18 Armstrong 4455 

19 Golden 4713 

20 Wright 4585 

21 Giant 4622 



22 Colvin 4074 

23 Whiteface 4872 

24 Saddleback 4530 

25 Lower Wolf Jaw 4175 

26 North Seward 4215 

27 Big Slide 4255 

28 Seymour 4120 

29 Cascade 4092 

30 Rocky Peak Ridge . . . 4375 

31 Dial 4023 

32 Middle Dix 4404 

33 Upper Wolf Jaw 4225 

34 East Dix 4020 

35 South Seward 4139 

36 Porter 4070 

37 South Dix 4135 

38 Esther 4270 

39 Tabletop 4440 

40 Phelps 4175 

41 Street 4216 

42 Nye 4160 



*Elevation above sea level as given in United States 
Geological Survey maps. 




THE STQNY AUSABLE A GATEWAY TO AND FROM THE LOFTY PEAKS 



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LIBRPRY OF CONGRESS 




014 114 262 8^ 

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Club, Inc. 

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